Martial Arts Crossover: Starting as a member of the Imperial Guard, all the ladies are demons

At that moment, the executioners were ready, and the first cut was made on Zhang Linhao's body.

"what!"

The intense pain caused Zhang Linhao to scream in agony, and blood gushed out, soon covering half of his body.

"Tyrant! Tyrant!"

"Xiao Jingyi, you are a tyrant! Just wait and see how the students of the world will curse you after today!"

Seemingly out of jealousy towards Xiao Jingyi, Zhang Linhao shouted at Xiao Jingyi with a ferocious and terrifying expression.

But Xiao Jingyi didn't care. He must have been prepared for this.

Aristocratic families, who have been a constant presence throughout history, may not seem as famous as emperors, but they are often the driving force behind many events.

Those who prioritize family continuity over the fate of the nation are truly unacceptable.

The aristocratic families and scholar groups at the end of the Western Han Dynasty could, in turn, restrain the imperial power.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, powerful clans did not intermarry with people from humble backgrounds.

On the surface, the imperial family ruled the world in each dynasty, giving people the impression of absolute power. However, in reality, most dynasties were actually a system where the people shared the world.

These are all bloody warnings that history gave to Xiao Jingyi.

Doing this today is also to tell all the officials of Daliang that powerful families are wolves and tigers.

Even though he won when he implemented the education system, it was just a victory; he didn't do anything to the powerful families.

After all, among the eight great families of Liang, even without the Zhang family, there are still seven others.

So these cuts weren't cutting Zhang Linhao's flesh, but rather the poisonous insects that were feeding on Da Liang's body. Even though it would cause pain, the knife had to be swung.

For the next few hours, all that could be heard was Zhang Linhao's screams.

Everyone felt their scalp tingle, but no one spoke again. Some who had never seen such a scene before were so frightened that they turned pale and vomited repeatedly.

Xiao Jingyi then had a wooden bucket given to them so they could vomit if they wanted, but they had to watch the entire performance today.

Because he wanted these people to understand that Daliang belonged to him, not to any aristocratic family.

"Ugh!" "Ugh!"

Amidst the constant sounds of retching behind him, Xiao Jingyi remained leisurely, sipping tea with an air of nonchalance.

Finally, Zhang Linhao was reduced to a skeleton, and Mao Xiang whispered beside him, "Your Majesty, the execution is over."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi slightly opened his eyes, then stood up and turned to look at the group of officials. Perhaps because they had been standing for a long time, or perhaps because they were frightened, everyone's face was pale.

Seeing this, he smiled and said, "My dear ministers, I hope you will remember what happened today and never act recklessly like Zhang Linhao."

"Since you are officials, you must prioritize the well-being of the country and the people. You must strive to do so."

As he was about to turn and leave, Xiao Jingyi seemed to remember something, then turned to look at Zhang Lindao, who was kneeling on the ground paralyzed with fear, and said in a low voice.

"The Great Liang currently has three provinces and six ministries, with complete functions. However, the retired emperor established the Grand Secretariat a few years ago, which has some functions that conflict with the three provinces. Let's put it aside for now."

"The officials inside will be re-evaluated, and new positions will be filled by officials from the three provinces and six ministries."

After saying this, Xiao Jingyi left.

The reason he wanted to abolish the Grand Secretariat was not because he disliked Zhang Lindao, but because there was indeed a conflict of functions. Moreover, in the second part, the Grand Secretariat replaced the Grand Chancellor and did a lot of bad things.

And another thing is that everyone in the cabinet is from aristocratic families.

This time, however, when Xiao Jingyi proposed abolishing the Dianling Cabinet, not a single minister in the court objected, and not a single person even spoke up.

Because of Zhang Linhao's recent execution by slow slicing, many people understood his deeper meaning.

It wasn't until Xiao Jingyi had completely left that the officials snapped out of their shock, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then everyone left.

On the way out of the palace.

Shen Zhui looked shaken. Cai Quan, who was standing nearby, asked him, "Shen Zhui, what's wrong? Were you scared?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhui shook his head: "Cai Quan, we both understand His Majesty's actions, but... I... I fear great calamity is about to befall us."

As he spoke, Shen Zhui's face fell, and his eyes revealed his frustration.

Upon seeing this, Cai Quan was startled and quickly asked, "Old Shen, what do you mean by this?"

Do you know the Liu family of Xianzhou?

"I know, they're one of the eight famous families of the Great Liang Dynasty, no, now they're the seventh, what happened?"

"Before His Majesty ascended the throne, the Liu family wanted to marry a woman from their family to me."

Shen Zhui stopped there. If he had known that Xiao Jingyi would do this after taking power, he would never have agreed.

But now, all the necessary procedures have been completed, and the dates have been set.

Savor it, savor it carefully.

Upon hearing this, Cai Quan's eyes widened, and then she swallowed hard: "Then why don't you hurry up and break off the engagement! His Majesty is in his prime now, and these aristocratic families are no match for him."

"Ahem, I also want to back out, but... but... the Liu family sent people over not long ago."

Shen Zhui blushed, making Cai Quan roll her eyes: "Fine, I get it now, you're after someone else's body."

"No, Lao Cai, now is not the time to talk about these things. I never expected His Majesty to do this."

"Your Majesty's intentions are clear to both you and me, but the powerful families do indeed need to be dealt with. They have been extremely arrogant in recent years."

Then Cai Quan looked at Shen Zhui: "Old Shen, I advise you to explain the situation to His Majesty as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhui sighed: "That's exactly what I was thinking, but I don't dare to go now. Let's go tomorrow, when His Majesty is in a better mood."

"I can only wish you good luck."

"I am loyal to His Majesty."

"Know, know."

The conversation between Shen Zhui and Cai Quan was actually a microcosm of the entire imperial court.

On their way back, the officials were all pondering Xiao Jingyi's actions that day, and finally concluded that His Majesty was going to take action against the aristocratic families.

So after they returned, they immediately severed ties with the aristocratic families, this time completely and utterly.

Among them are many who have already married into prominent families.

It was obvious that they knew Xiao Jingyi's attitude this time, and they knew that if they didn't show their support, it would definitely displease him.

Meanwhile, the aristocratic officials were also trembling with fear, lest the Embroidered Uniform Guards strike while they slept at night.

Little did they know that their every move after returning was reported to Xiao Jingyi by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Good, you've learned to be afraid and to take action; that's progress."

After seeing these reports, Xiao Jingyi smiled with satisfaction and said, "These officials were worth the time I spent watching their performance with them."

"Your Majesty, if they remain stubborn even after you do this, then they are truly beyond saving."

Mao Xiang replied, then took out the things he had prepared and handed them over.

"Your Majesty, this is the action plan I wrote down when you instructed me to take action against the powerful families. Please take a look."

Looking at the memorial before him, Xiao Jingyi said, "Didn't I say that you can decide for yourself which noble families to deal with later?"

"The affairs of noble families are of great importance, and I dare not make a decision in secret."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi looked at Mao Xiang and laughed, scolding him, "You rascal, now you know how to shift the blame, don't you? Are you afraid that the impact of destroying the aristocratic families will be too great for you to bear?"

Mao Xiang immediately knelt down and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I had no such intention. Please see the truth."

Seeing him like this, Xiao Jingyi stopped teasing him.

Mao Xiang was 100% loyal to him; he was just joking when he said that.

In fact, he understood the deeper meaning behind Mao Xiang showing him the plan, just like when Yan Hou was sent on a mission before.

Your Majesty, you grant the power to make concessions, but you cannot actually make concessions.

This is a principle.

This shows that such a person has a sense of awe towards Xiao Jingyi and knows his place.

"Get up, let me take a good look at your plan."

After receiving the memorial, since Mao Xiang had already sent it to him, he decided to work overtime on March 3.9th to help Mao Xiang refine it.

Overall, Mao Xiang's writing was quite good. Xiao Jingyi made some minor revisions and then dismissed him.

...

In the following days, the court remained calm.

However, since the Zhang Linhao incident, the officials' awe of Xiao Jingyi has visibly increased. Having witnessed his ruthless methods, none of the officials dare to provoke him.

One day, just as Xiao Jingyi had finished processing the memorials and was about to stroll around the palace...

A member of the Imperial Guard rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, news just came from Tianba Village that the potato seeds you gave them have ripened."

"This is a summary of their spoils; please take a look, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi raised an eyebrow: "The potatoes are planted already?"

He immediately unfolded the letter to check, and when he saw the summary of the harvest, he smiled and said, "The potatoes are ripe, which finally solves the problem that has been troubling me the most."

Food was a major problem faced by every dynasty.

After all, people cannot live in peace if they are not well-fed and watered. Only when they are well-fed and watered can they live in peace.

So, on the eve of his ascension to the throne, Xiao Jingyi drew potatoes and other crops in a lottery and had them delivered to Tianba Village so that they could grow these crops.

Now that potatoes are among the first foods to mature, Xiao Jingyi can only say one thing.

No wonder he was a figure who shocked and praised by the First Emperor and the Tang Emperor in the novels of Qin and Tang on Feilu.

090 Another victory over Northern Yan, the Mo Dao Army becomes famous (Please subscribe, please customize, please do everything)

"Your Majesty, Minister Shen requests an audience."

Just then, a member of the Imperial Guard came over to report.

"Shen Zhui?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi glanced at the letter in his hand, closed it, and smiled, "He came at just the right time. I happen to have something to entrust to him."

"Let him in."

"Yes!"

Seeing that his plan to visit the palace had fallen through, Xiao Jingyi returned to the Imperial Study, drank a cup of tea, and waited for Shen Zhui to arrive.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

Shen Zhui stopped ten steps away and bowed respectfully to Xiao Jingyi.

However, unlike usual, he felt very uneasy today.

Because he came to confess.

Shen Zhui had wanted to come over a few days ago after Zhang Linhao's incident, but he was worried that Xiao Jingyi would blame him, so he had been paying close attention to Xiao Jingyi's mood these past few days.

After mentally preparing myself for several days, he finally came.

Of course, there was another major reason, which was that he noticed Xiao Jingyi was in an exceptionally good mood when he attended the morning court session.

"Yes, rise."

Xiao Jingyi had no idea that Shen Zhui was having such a complicated time. Instead, he held a cup of tea and looked at him with a smile: "Shen Zhui, what brings you to see me today?"

Normally, Shen Zhui would have gotten up long ago, but today he remained kneeling there.

Upon hearing Xiao Jingyi's words, he hardened his heart and immediately said, "Your Majesty, I have come to plead guilty. Please punish me."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi feigned surprise, set aside the tea, and said, "Shen Zhui, what crime have you committed? Let me hear it."

"Your Majesty, several months ago, the Liu family wanted to marry their daughter to me. At that time, I... I was bewitched and agreed. Now that Liu family daughter is in my residence. I... I am guilty."

Shen Zhui originally had a lot to say, but for some reason, when facing Xiao Jingyi, he couldn't utter a single word.

No, why am I being so clumsy with words today?